You’ve seen buyers go ga-ga over moving walls of giant glass on your favorite home buying shows. Maybe you’ve even seen it in someone else’s home. You were left wowed and wondering, “What is that? And how do I get one of those in my home?”
That’s no ordinary wall, for sure. It’s a sliding glass patio door — also referred to as a sliding glass wall — a set of floor-to-ceiling doors that can seamlessly connect your home, inside and out.
How to Get a Sliding Glass Wall System in Your Home
Using patio doors to create a movable glass wall can bring natural light and beauty into your home. And when you want to connect your interior living space with your exterior living space, you are able to move the glass wall out of the way. A movable glass wall combines the benefits of large windows with the functionality of patio doors. If you want the best of both worlds to connect your home to your patio, you just have to answer one question:
Sliding or folding?
Multi-Slide Patio Doors
Multi-slide patio doors are like the traditional sliding glass doors you see in most homes — but bigger. Up to five times bigger. The panels slide over top of one another and stack up at the edges of the entrance, giving you a wide expanse connecting your indoor and outdoor living spaces. If you have additional wall space, you can tuck the panels into pockets. This makes your patio or deck look like it’s part of an open concept floor plan in your home.
PROJECT: Ultimate Outdoor Entertainment Space
The glass panels of multi-slide patio doors glide smoothly on the track. So it’s easy to open up and close off the interior of your home.
PROJECT: Multi-Slide Patio Doors Connect Indoor and Outdoor Entertaining
Bifold Patio Doors
Bifold patio doors are able to fold up like an accordion instead of sliding along a track. The panels fold up neatly on one or both sides of the entryway. They can provide a wider entrance than some multi-slide patio doors that stack at the edges of the frame.
Because bifold patio doors fold instead of slide, there is not an overlap between the panels, which means it is a narrower track. This can make for a more seamless transition between your interior and exterior rooms. When the door is closed, it also can create a flush glass wall rather than a set of stacked panels.
PROJECT: Bifold Patio Doors Make Patio Feel Like Part of the Home
Design Options for Sliding or Folding Glass Walls
When you opt to build a glass wall out of doors instead of windows, you can get more design flexibility. Multi-slide and bifold patio doors offer configurations to work with almost any architectural style.
- Curved walls – Tracks can be curved instead of straight lines. Curved glass walls work in rounded rooms or other spaces with irregular shapes.
- Corners – Your wall space doesn’t have to be all on one wall. Multi-slide and bifold patio doors can be configured at a 90-degree angle. This gives you the option to build two movable glass walls instead of one, creating a unique entrance to your outdoor entertaining area.
- Open on the side – Instead of a center opening, glass panels can be pushed to one side of the entryway. By sliding or folding the panels off to a side, you can gain additional space in your home or on your patio.
- On the inside – You can also use sliding glass walls exclusively indoors to separate a sunroom, divide a large space or carve a little corner for a private office.
When gorgeous scenery isn’t enough — and you want to bring it into your home — cast your wall aside. A movable glass wall opens up your home and your possibilities.